Toh 2077A Sādhana of the Donkey-Faced Piśācī

Exposition of the Donkey-Faced Pisaci Sadhana (Kharamukhisadhana)

Context

The Kharamukhisadhana is a practice document belonging to the Tengyur, the collection of explanatory treatises of the Northern Tibetan Mahayana tradition, preserved in the Tibetan Buddhist Canon. Sadhana (སྒྲུབ་ཐབས་, sgrub thabs) is a Sanskrit term for methods of spiritual practice intended to accomplish or actualize (sadhayati) a deity or a state of meditative mind.

In the context of the Northern Tibetan Buddha-Dharma, especially the tantric tradition, a pisaci (ཕི་ཤ་ཙ་, phi sha tsa) is a kind of local spirit that has been humanized in practice or brought into the Buddhist Dharma framework. Pisacis are often described as feminine spirits, sometimes fierce or humorous in character, known through ancient Indian folk legends. The name "donkey-faced" (kharamukhi, ཁ་ར་མུ་ཁི་) is not accidental in the context of the Buddha-Dharma; it may indicate a representational form or a defining characteristic within the tantric divine system.

Sadhanas of this kind are often recorded in the Tengyur in order to provide detailed guidance for practitioners wishing to establish a successful connection with these spiritual forces through visualization, mantra, and ritual.

Main Content

The specific content of this scripture has not been fully translated and rendered in the currently available material; however, the typical structure of a Northern Tibetan tantric sadhana includes the following elements: First, the preparatory practices, with refuge, the arising of bodhicitta, and purification of the mind. Second, the main visualization, in which the practitioner imagines himself or herself transforming into the pisaci, including descriptions of form, color, ornaments, and biological characteristics.

Third, the mantra recitation, the indivisible syllables of the Buddha-Dharma, often fixed words possessing the power of accomplishment (siddhi). Fourth, the conclusion, with the dissolution of the visualization, dedication of merit, and words of vow.